TnT Religious Supremacy Revisited

Posted: June 15, 2001
By Dr Kwame Nantambu

It seems to this writer that there needs to be further analysis or decoding of the direct connection between Euro-Roman Catholicism and European supremacy in TnT especially following the " barrage of hate mail" that the Afrikan- Trini Roman Catholic Priest Father Clyde Harvey has received.

The fact of the matter is that Fr.Harvey took a principled position to resign as chairman of the diocesan clergy executive and as parish priest of San Fernando, by extension.

Fr. Harvey was historically on target when he stated that the appointment of the Euro-American –born –Re. Edward J. Gilbert as TnT's ninth Archbishop is "an insult to the Caribbean" The fact of the matter is that Euro-America would NEVER accept an Afrikan-American or a foreign Nigerian as Archbishop of America. That will NEVER happen.

Such appointment would be considered a total insult to the United States of America.

As such, the same reasoning holds true for TnT.

Furthermore, this writer considers this 20 March 2001 appointment not only one of the Whitest Days in TnT history but also a wicked derailment, total disrespect and a flagrant violation of the national integrity and sovereignty of TnT and its people.

The Euro-British political Governor is no longer in TnT; let us totally reject the appointment of a religious Euro-American Archbishop. TnT must reject a Euro-American religious Governor at the helm.

Trinis must not allow Euro-Rome to succeed in its imperialist, religious coup d'etat in TnT. TnT is NO longer a political colony of Britain; we totally refuse to become a religious colony of Rome and America.

But if one places this Euro-centric appointment within the context of European supremacy them everything becomes very clear.

The fact of the matter is that this Euro-centric American installment in Port-of Spain on 5 May 2001 represents the manifestation of the evil ethnocentric( lack of tolerance of other cultures), ethnocentric( lack of tolerance of other races) and xenophobic ( fear of other races) perspectives and hidden agenda motives of colonial Rome.

Indeed, if Fr. Harvey understood how European supremacy works then he would not be surprised at the vicious response to his response.

Fr. Harvey needs to put aside his religious education (if possible) and deal with this situation as one that is fully clothed in racism and political power control intent. He needs to clearly understand that this scenario has NOTHING to do with saving the souls of the people of TnT. Absolutely nothing; it is all about power using religion as the medium. As someone once said: " Religion is the opium of the people".

In addition, Fr. Harvey should not be surprised that he is portrayed " like the devil". This is par for the course under the hidden, subliminal tactics of European supremacy.

This is psychological warfare at its racist, supremist zenith. Fr. .Harvey needs to understand this. In toher words, the religious powers that be in TnT are portraying HIM as the enemy and NOT the European supremist Roman Catholic Church and its daughter, Christianity. This is a very simple power game.

The European supremist mind game that is being played out in TnT is to blame the victim for his victimization or blame the oppressed for his oppression; you DO NOT blame the European colonizer, victimizer or oppressor.

This is a psychological ploy to neutralize the colonized.

As a counter measure, Fr. Harvey must stand firm on his two positions as a matter of principle. This is something that European supremists DO NOT understand.

Fr. Harvey should NOT bite this self-guilty bate that TnT religious powers are putting out. As a matter of principle, Fr. Harvey must continue to spread his correct message that this Euro-centric American appointment is a perfect manifestation " of the process of re-colonization of our people, American – style".

He must insist that this is the truth and nothing but the truth.

Fr. Harvey must insist that TnT people have fought and challenged Euro-British political colonization and that now we are fully prepared to fight and challenge Euro-Roman-American religious re-colonization, by any and all means necessary.

Fr. Harvey needs to understand that "self-hatred even a racism" are all characteristics of Catholicism since Roman times.

Racism in Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church is similar to pelau and roti in TnT life. Fr. Harvey and Afrikan Trinis need to understand that under European supremacy there is NO room for democracy, equality and respect for human dignity.

This ninth appointment of an American as Archbishop of TnT proves this statement.

This was a Euro-Roman dictatorial appointment. This is and was the ONLY way AL European colonial powers operated toward their colonized from the 15th century to this new millennium.

The Euro-supremist mind-set has NOT changed and will NEVER change.

The European colonizer ALWAYS thought and now thinks that HE alone knows what's best for the colonized. The European colonizer assumes that the colonized DOES NOT have the innate ability to think for himself. He must rely on Euro- MASSA to instruct him how to live and govern.

This is the insidious aspect of this Euro- American appointment.

In this religious scenario, Euro-Rome assumed that there is NO equality between the Euro-Roman religious colonizer and the TnT religious colonized.

Euro-Rome assumed that the TnT colonized must accept its Euro-American appointment in the name of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This is the same vicious, racist and pacifying game plan or con game the various European colonizers used from the 15th to the 19thh century to enable and TRICK Afrikan peoples to accept slavery and colonialism.

History proves that the slick Europeans were able to convince Afrikans to accept slavery as a pre-condition for the better life after death in heaven and that colonialism was in their best interests.

This was the Europeans master-plan THEN and they used the missionaries to perfect and succeed in their game-plan. TODAY, the Euro-colonizer, the Roman Catholic Church is applying the SAME master-plan and is using a fellow Euro-American missionary, now called Archbishop, to perfect and succeed in this Euro-Roman religious, supremist oppressive master-plan.

Within the context of European religious supremacy, Euro-Rome has shown NO respect for the human dignity, nationalism and independence of the people of TnT.

In typical ethnocentric fashion, Euro-Rome viewed TnT as the "Dark Continent" just as their European colonial predecessors viewed Mother Afrika and Afrikan people.

In their mind-set, Europeans were superior, while Afrikans were inferior. Euro-Rome manifested this same mind-set on 20 March 2001. In the 15th century, European colonial scholarship viewed Mother Afirka as the "Dark Continent" full of " cannibals, savages and inferior, uncivilized, backward, primitive peoples, devoid of knowledge and culture and possessing evil traits and desires".

The Euro-Roman 20 March 2001 decision is just a modern-day religious version of this Euro-colonial mind-set, NOTHING has changed.

As the "priest of the people", FR. Harvey needs to fight against overt racism in ALL arenas of TnT's religion, politics, culture, etc.

He needs to challenge Euro-originated or induced supremist tendencies in TnT. He must expose these elements.

Fr. Harvey needs to understand that just as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated because he wanted to make the American dream came through, he must let such accusations that he is a "a traitor to the faith" roll off his back like a duck.

However, he MUST NOT duck from his life vocation to challenge racism and European supremacy in religion.

Fr. Harvey needs to understand that if someone calls him a dog, it DOES NOT follow that he is a Dog.

Indeed, the ONLY time he will be a Dog is if he goes down to the ground on all his two hands and two feet and then bark and ask for Puppy Chow dog food.

Now, if he DOES NOT do these things then he is NOT a Dog, even though he is called a Dog EVERYDAY in the newspapers.

This is psychological warfare under European supremacy. It is a mind game.

The fact of the matter is that the REAL PEOPLE of TnT know that Fr. Clyde Harvey is NOT the "devil" in "the devil's horn"

The real TnT people know that he is the opposite to the devil and that he does not wear sheep's clothing.

Fr. Harvey and his national followers need to understand that there is ONE thing a racist and/or supremist DOES NOT want to be called and that is a racist and an avowed supremist. Call him/her anything else but what they really are.

Since they are the targets of religious supremacy in TnT, Then Fr. Harvey and his supporters need to turn his personal, character assassination attack into positive dynamics.

They need to remember that the Euro-Christian Holy Bible says in Psalm 121:6 that " the sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night".

It is in this regard that Fr. Harvey functions as a powerful shield to protect TnT and its people from the "smite" of Euro-Roman and Euro-American religious supremacy and nepotism.

Fr. Clyde Harvey towers as the solid beacon, pyramid and cemented wall as the true, tested, committed defender, saviour and teamplayer against European religious racist supremacy in TnT. Euro-Roman-American religious hegemony must be defeated.

Indeed, this Euro-Roman power supremist decision should be the final wake-up call for ALL Trinis and in the abomination of the late Afrikan –American matyr and emancipator, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We must either learn to live together as brothers or we are all going to perish together as fools."

The bottom line is that the inauguration of the Euro-American-Brooklyn-New York-born-Rev. Edward J. Gilbert as the ninth Archbishop of TnT's Catholic Church on 5 May 2001 is a day that will live in INFAMY in the religious history of TnT and its people.

Shem Hotep ("I go in peace").

Dr. Nantambu is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Pan-African Studies at Kent State University, U.S.A.

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